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---
layout: post
title: "Tabbed Content Without JavaScript"
date: 2019-01-28
---
Creating tabs is a fairly trivial and common practice in web design, but many times it requires JavaScript to properly implement. Fortunately it *is* possible to create tabbed content with only using CSS.
[Live CodePen Example](https://codepen.io/bradleytaunt/pen/abjmayw)
---
<div class="message">
<p><strong>Sidenote:</strong></p>
<p>While this method is semantic and accessible, you might consider using a pre-existing plugin for tabbed data.</p>
<p>This component tends to feel a little "stiff" compared to more fleshed out variations available. This pure CSS version is better suited as a fallback for when users have disabled JavaScript.</p>
</div>
## The HTML
The skeleton for this component is fairly basic - we just need the following structure:
1. Parent element for each tab item
2. Default radio input
3. Label linked to corresponding input
4. Inner content associated with each tab item
---
<!-- Simple main container for all elements -->
<div class="tabs">
<!-- Parent container holding for individual tab item -->
<div class="tab-item">
<!-- Default radio input -->
<input class="tab-input" type="radio" name="tabs" id="tab-1">
<!-- Label connected to radio input via `id` and `for` attributes -->
<label class="tab-label" for="tab-1">Tab 1</label>
<!-- Full inner content of current tab item -->
<div class="tab-content">Content goes here</div>
</div>
</div>
Full HTML for reference:
<div class="tabs">
<div class="tab-item">
<input class="tab-input" type="radio" name="tabs" id="tab-1">
<label class="tab-label" for="tab-1">Tab 1</label>
<div class="tab-content">Content goes here</div>
</div>
<div class="tab-item">
<input class="tab-input" type="radio" name="tabs" id="tab-2">
<label class="tab-label" for="tab-2">Tab 2</label>
<div class="tab-content">Content goes here</div>
</div>
<div class="tab-item">
<input class="tab-input" type="radio" name="tabs" id="tab-3">
<label class="tab-label" for="tab-3">Tab 3</label>
<div class="tab-content">Content goes here</div>
</div>
</div>
## The CSS
First, we need to set each `input`, `label` and inner content into their own parent containers:
/* Main parent that holds all contents */
.tabs {
height: 100%;
min-height: 250px;
position: relative;
}
/* Each tab items (includes heading & content) */
.tab-item {
display: inline;
}
Next, we will hide the default `radio` input and design our labels to resemble a basic web tab element. The `z-index` property on the label is important for how we will be stacking our content on the z-axis (labels above inner content for example).
/* Hide the default radio inputs */
.tab-input {
position: absolute;
visibility: hidden;
}
/* The main tab headings */
.tab-label {
background: white;
box-shadow: inset 0 -4px 4px rgba(0,0,0,0.02);
color: lightgrey;
cursor: pointer;
display: inline-block;
font-weight: 600;
margin: 0 5px 0 0;
padding: 10px 20px;
position: relative;
text-align: center;
z-index: 0;
}
The main inner content of each tab needs to have an `absolute` position set as it's default, since the one currently selected will switch to `relative` on mobile (more on that in a moment):
/* The inner tab content */
.tab-content {
background: white;
bottom: 0;
box-shadow: 0 6px 8px rgba(0,0,0,0.02);
left: 0;
overflow: scroll;
padding: 20px;
position: absolute;
right: 0;
top: 50px;
z-index: 0;
}
The final step is just telling the browser to style both the `label` and inner content of the currently selected radio `input`:
/* Style the currently selected tab label */
.tab-input:checked + .tab-label {
border: 1px solid #eee;
border-bottom: 0;
box-shadow: 0 -6px 8px rgba(0,0,0,0.02);
color: #268bd2;
z-index: 2;
}
/* Show the currently selected tab content */
.tab-input:checked ~ .tab-content {
border: 1px solid #eee;
z-index: 1;
}
It's as simple as that! For reference, here is the entire CSS file for easier access:
/* Main parent that holds all contents */
.tabs {
height: 100%;
min-height: 250px;
position: relative;
}
/* Each tab items (includes heading & content) */
.tab-item {
display: inline;
}
/* Hide the default radio inputs */
.tab-input {
position: absolute;
visibility: hidden;
}
/* The main tab headings */
.tab-label {
background: white;
box-shadow: inset 0 -4px 4px rgba(0,0,0,0.02);
color: lightgrey;
cursor: pointer;
display: inline-block;
font-weight: 600;
margin: 0 5px 0 0;
padding: 10px 20px;
position: relative;
text-align: center;
z-index: 0;
}
/* The inner tab content */
.tab-content {
background: white;
bottom: 0;
box-shadow: 0 6px 8px rgba(0,0,0,0.02);
left: 0;
overflow: scroll;
padding: 20px;
position: absolute;
right: 0;
top: 50px;
z-index: 0;
}
/* Style the currently selected tab label */
.tab-input:checked + .tab-label {
border: 1px solid #eee;
border-bottom: 0;
box-shadow: 0 -6px 8px rgba(0,0,0,0.02);
color: #268bd2;
z-index: 2;
}
/* Show the currently selected tab content */
.tab-input:checked ~ .tab-content {
border: 1px solid #eee;
z-index: 1;
}
## Don't forget about mobile
With only a few extra lines of CSS we can ensure that our custom tabs will stack on top of each other and look solid on mobile devices:
@media(max-width:38em) {
.tab-label {
display: block;
width: 100%;
}
.tab-content {
display: none;
}
.tab-input:checked ~ .tab-content {
bottom: auto;
display: block;
position: relative;
top: auto;
}
}
## One minor caveat
Even though I'm a pretty big fan of implementing tabs this way, there is a small drawback:
The `height` of the inner content doesn't grow dynamically since it defaults as `absolute`, so a `min-height` or `height` value is required on the parent element. This could become a problem in certain situations where you don't have the luxury of setting a static height.
Other than that, enjoy building some JavaScript-free tabs!
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